Virgin Knight Who Is the Frontier Lord in the Gender Switched World - Chapter 43

In the royal castle of Anhalt, within a conference room in one of its chambers, surrounded by a grand table, sat numerous clergymen of nobility. Selected senior bureaucratic nobles sat around this pivotal space, watching the report from a crystal ball in front of Queen Liesenlotte.

A magical crystal ball.

However, the one communicating through it was not Liesenlotte’s daughter, the second Princess Valiere, but a negotiator from Virendorf, the enemy.

“The peace negotiations have been successfully concluded, then?”

“Yes, the conditions will be strictly adhered to. I stress this point: the conditions will be strictly adhered to. And should Lord Faust von Polydoro remain unwed after two years, he will properly receive a bride from Virendorf. This is a ‘contract.'”

For Virendorf, the word “contract” carries a weight heavier than death.

Virendorf honors its contracts above all, even in death. There’s a culture where deviating from it is not permitted.

Thus, with Virendorf raising the name of “contract,” the peace negotiations will surely be upheld, as long as Anhalt’s side respects this “contract.”

Withdrawing troops from the Virendorf border poses no issue anymore. That much is certain.

However, the problem lies in the content of the contract.

Queen Liesenlotte contemplates.

Faust von Polydoro.

By selling his chastity, Faust secured peace negotiations with Virendorf. This is the primary concern.

“The communication ends here. The magic power bestowed upon this crystal ball is not infinite, after all.”

“Yes, the contract will be honoured in the name of the Kingdom of Anhalt by Queen Liesenlotte.”

Communication ends.

Lord Polydoro ended up selling himself.

Anastasia and Astarte will be furious.

Frankly, I am not pleased either.

From both a public and private standpoint, this is far from pleasing.

Queen Liesenlotte ponders on how to compensate Faust.

She had asked for Queen Katarina’s heart but had not anticipated it would be captured to this extent.

To have melted the ice around the heart of the cold-blooded Queen Katarina to the point where he is desired as a consort.

This was unforeseen.

It was my oversight.

“Put away the crystal ball.”

“Understood.”

The court magician, who also participated in creating Polydoro’s fluted armor, covers the crystal ball with a cloth, lifts it with both hands as if it were precious, and disappears behind the door.

Regretting the oversight serves no purpose.

This is not solely Polydoro’s responsibility.

It’s the responsibility of Valiere, the envoy Anastasia, and ultimately, me as the queen.

We have unfairly burdened Polydoro.

We must make amends.

But then,

Who should Faust’s bride be?

If Faust cannot find a bride in Anhalt and must receive one from Virendorf,

That cannot be allowed, even in death.

Our nation would be disgraced if it cannot provide a suitable bride for Faust von Polydoro, a hero of our country, and instead accepts one from Virendorf, supposedly worthy of being Virendorf’s consort.

Again, this is inexcusable.

It would be the shame of the Kingdom of Anhalt.

“Isn’t that wonderful?”

A voice chimes in from the side, belonging to a young woman, a newcomer.

“Yes, with this, our country has established peace negotiations without any loss. Really, it’s for the best.”

Foolish. What do you mean, no loss?

It is better than failure, but the loss is substantial.

I’ve repeatedly said it; we’ve pushed everything onto Faust.

The royal family has burdened him with all, despite him being a minor lord knight of 300 men.

Any sensible clergymen or lords would see it this way.

How do we cover for this distrust?

How will we compensate Faust from now on?

Everyone is watching.

Even the second princess’s personal guard should understand this much.

What are you talking about?

Actually, who are you…

“Lord Faust von Polydoro did well indeed. Well, that unsightly man is quite popular in Virendorf. Isn’t he happy, I wonder?”

All the senior bureaucratic nobles present, except for the newcomer, frowned.

A genuine fool, this one.

Did her parents not inform her before coming to the royal castle for her inheritance?

Even without being told, she should know that, as the eldest daughter, she is inheriting the family title.

Lord Polydoro is destined to be the lover of both Princess Anastasia and Duchess Astarte.

That the two hold affection for him.

Anyone not dull would easily understand.

At least, as a senior bureaucratic noble, you should know that you are allowed in this crucial space.

Lord Polydoro is predestined to be the lover of Princess Anastasia and Duchess Astarte.

Both women harbor affection for him.

Any astute individual would easily grasp this much.

At least, as a senior bureaucratic noble permitted in this significant venue, it is expected knowledge.

However, the crux of the matter is this.

Why insult Lord Polydoro, who played a crucial role in these peace negotiations, by calling him an unsightly man?

Indeed, this woman did refer to Lord Polydoro as an unsightly man.

In fact, wasn’t your family originally the negotiator for Virendorf? And you, in turn, have called Lord Polydoro, who stood in for the peace negotiations, an unsightly man.

As everyone looked on in disbelief,

“Your parents were originally the negotiators for Virendorf, weren’t they? And you called Lord Polydoro, who replaced them in the peace negotiations, an unsightly man,”

Queen Liesenlotte said, smiling at the woman who had called Lord Polydoro an unsightly man.

All the nobles present felt a chill of fear.

The queen’s personal guard, stationed by the wall, didn’t even need a royal command to stand behind the woman.

The royal command had already been executed, symbolized by Queen Liesenlotte’s smile.

“What’s wrong with that? If peace negotiations were established in exchange for that unsightly man, then it’s all for the best. That muscular figure, absolutely—”

“What did you say? Say that one more time,”

Queen Liesenlotte’s smile deepened.

Queen Liesenlotte, usually so stoic, had rarely shown such an expression, the last time being when Lord Polydoro pleaded for mercy by pressing his forehead to the ground.

The senior bureaucratic nobles understood the meaning behind Queen Liesenlotte’s smile.

“You said ‘unsightly man’ once more.”

Anger is an expression that becomes distinctly apparent on one’s face only when truly enraged.

Senior bureaucratic nobles understood that this was the most terrifying situation of all.

What wasn’t understood, however…

“What, what are you doing?”

Only the newcomer, whose hands were held down by two members of the Queen’s Guard and whose face was slammed into the table, did not understand. Her newly tailored dress for this occasion was now splattered with blood from her nose.

“Is this the current state of our country? Even among the legal nobility and senior bureaucratic nobles, newcomers end up like this. They fail to recognize the achievements of Faust von Polydoro, the hero who saved our nation, and despise him merely for his appearance, applauding and laughing over his being sold off to another country.”

Queen Liesenlotte’s smile deepened.

The Queen’s Guard fully understood its meaning.

They had been with her since her first battle sixteen years ago.

The guards slammed the woman’s face into the table several times more.

A scream escaped from the woman’s mouth.

“Silence her. It’s irritating.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The guard stuffed a handkerchief into her mouth and resumed slamming her face into the table.

Queen Liesenlotte’s smile was now directed at the surrounding senior bureaucratic nobles.

Her gaze eventually stopped on the face of a single noble.

What does this mean?

Queen Liesenlotte asked with her gaze rather than words.

The noble answered, crying out in her heart that this was an unjust punishment.

“Because she’s a newcomer, she doesn’t understand that the favor from Princess Anastasia and Duchess Astarte is directed towards Lord Polydoro.”

“Not understanding is a problem, but it’s not the only one.”

“Yes, if my memory serves me right, this newcomer is present here because her mother was held responsible for the failure of peace negotiations with Virendorf, and a succession of family leadership was carried out.”

That must be it.

The only reason this newcomer was given a seat at this crucial gathering was out of consideration for her to witness the outcome of the negotiations her mother failed.

“You’re glad Polydoro sold himself out, thinking ‘Good, this solves everything’? What nonsense is this?”

First, it wouldn’t be strange to praise Polydoro unreservedly and to propose a reward for his service.

To call him an ugly man?

Is she seriously out of her mind?

Queen Liesenlotte’s heart was turbulent, contrary to her smiling face.

“Let’s ask everyone. Is the contempt for Lord Polydoro among the younger generation this severe? Or am I expecting too much from my subordinates? Are all of you such fools?”

“No, it’s not like that. My household teaches our daughters that Lord Polydoro is the hero who saved our country from Virendorf. If my daughter were to insult Lord Polydoro, I would not resent Your Majesty even if you were to behead her on the spot.”

“Then, why does this situation arise?”

This is a serious matter.

Lies and deception will not be tolerated.

Queen Liesenlotte smiled and continued her intimidation.

“However, it’s also true that there are voices, like this newcomer’s, that despise him as an unsightly man, questioning why such a man is hailed as a hero.”

“Is it only the legal nobility?”

“It seems so. All the local lords with land protection contracts with Anhalt are dissatisfied with how Lord Polydoro is treated…”

It’s better to be disapproved of than to have such fools wandering before my eyes.

The guard catches the Queen’s glance.

The sound of the face being slammed into the table stopped.

“Was her mother competent?”

“Undoubtedly. She was a remarkable woman capable of both negotiations and martial arts, chosen by Princess Anastasia herself as a negotiator with Virendorf. It’s clear from the fact that she took responsibility for the failed peace negotiations and executed the succession of family leadership.”

“So, it’s simply that this newcomer is too foolish to understand even her mother’s words. I thought about crushing her family. But I no longer wish to see her face. Take her away.”

The woman, her face painted red with blood from a broken nose and unconscious from the pain, was lifted by two members of the Queen’s Guard.

“Tell them to reinherit the family leadership again. And add that I never want to see that foolish woman’s face again.”

“Understood.”

As the Queen’s Guard left through the door, Queen Liesenlotte addressed everyone present, her smile yet to fade.

“Let it be known once again that Lord Polydoro is the hero who saved our nation and the key figure in the recent peace negotiations. Anyone who insults him again, even if they are a page, may be beheaded on the spot.”

“Understood.”

All the nobles present shivered under Queen Liesenlotte’s smile.

Indeed, none of their own would be such a fool.

They must take care to ensure that not only their families but also their relatives are thoroughly informed.

No one wants their house destroyed by association.

“However, Queen Liesenlotte,”

“What is it?”

A noblewoman, one of the esteemed elders, raised her voice, albeit fearfully, in the face of Queen Liesenlotte’s smile.

“What shall we do about Lord Polydoro’s reward? A mere token will no longer satisfy the lords, the legal nobility, or anyone of sound mind. It is no longer acceptable to match Lord Polydoro with a daughter of a minor noble. Lord Polydoro’s own feelings must be considered.”

“I understand.”

Queen Liesenlotte’s smile disappeared.

It was time for a change of subject.

The first thing that came to mind was…

“Valiere.”

She muttered the name softly.

It was what anyone would think of first.

Making Valiere renounce her succession rights had been a predetermined course from the start.

There were factions within the first princess’s camp who wanted her to enter a monastery, but neither Anastasia nor I wanted that anymore.

Valiere is a beloved daughter, and Anastasia has come to see her as such.

The plan was to carve out a small domain from the royal lands for her to live out her days in peace, hoping she might visit with her children occasionally.

That should have been enough.

“A good thought,”

The elder noblewoman reacted to my muttered words, understanding everything.

To give Valiere in marriage to Lord Polydoro.

To let her start a new life as Valiere von Polydoro.

However, whether Anastasia and Astarte would be satisfied with this is questionable.

Moreover, it might strengthen the perception that a low-ranking noble has insinuated himself into the royal family.

Even as a lover of Anastasia and Astarte, it’s a bit of a stretch.

Faust von Polydoro is a hero of the Virendorf campaign.

That’s why I thought it might just be acceptable for Anastasia to continue as queen with him as a lover.

But now, with his contributions to the peace negotiations with Virendorf, marrying into the royal family might not be too much to ask.

Honestly, it’s troubling.

Above all else…

“I’d rather not do that to Valiere.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Valiere is a beloved daughter.

Despite being adorable, she used to sneak into bed with my late husband, Robert, and me, clinging to Robert as we slept.

I was jealous.

Even though she was adorable, why was she clinging to him and not me?

And Lord Polydoro resembles Robert.

To be taken from me twice…

“I retract my statement. Let me think a little.”

Well, there’s no need to decide now.

Above all, Valiere’s wishes must be considered.

And Faust’s wishes must also be confirmed.

Introducing royal blood into a lineage that has continued for generations and reconnecting with the noble world severed during the time of Faust’s late mother, Marianne must be considered.

Considering this, I can’t imagine he would refuse.

Just in case, just in case.

With that excuse, Queen Liesenlotte postponed the conclusion.